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Charles Michael Bradley Wheeler (Born on January 16th, 1990 in Nuremburg, Germany) is an American photographer. Son of painter Gerald Wheeler and saleswoman Josie Wheeler (and younger brother to Dani Wheeler), He attended Rochester High School in Rochester, WA and Red Bluff High School in Red Bluff, CA. Wheeler was a rebellious teenager, when he was 17 he moved to Los Angeles to peruse a life in gay.




That is the way my Wikipedia article will start. A brief introduction to the mess of a specimen that is Charles Wheeler. However since my life is still being written, instead of having someone else write my biography. I will have to do it. I hear this is a novel concept, something called autobiography; Or as Tom Anderson, of Myspace fame, calls it an “About Me.” So if you want to learn more about who I am, if you want to unravel the threads of my core being, sit down, strap in, and prepare for an adventure in the form of non fiction literacy.


”What’s great about this country is that America started the tradition where the richest consumers buy essentially the same things as the poorest. You can be watching TV and see Coca-Cola, and you know that the President drinks Coke, Liz Taylor drinks Coke, and just think, you can drink Coke, too. A Coke is a Coke and no amount of money can get you a better Coke than the one the bum on the corner is drinking. All the Cokes are the same and all the Cokes are good. Liz Taylor knows it, the President knows it, the bum knows it, and you know it.”

If the encyclopedia style entrance didn’t give it away, I will tell you the basics. My name is Charles Michael Bradley Wheeler. I come from the O’Wheelhan family of Ireland, and the lineage of the Flathead Indian Nation. My name names me after more relatives then most people even know. So I have quite a bit of pride in my name. I like my name to say the least. I was named after my grandpa, Thomas Charles Wheeler, who was one of the greatest men to walk the face of the earth.

I was born on January 16th, 1990 in a U.S. Army Hospital on foreign soil. It was in Nuremburg, Germany. So I do not have a birth certificate, I have a “Documental Proof of Birth Abroad.” I grew up under the strong belief that I was German. My family just made fun of me for it. I didn’t understand in my younger years that I was only born in Germany because it bordered the Soviet Block at the same time that the logging industry of Montana crashed. Had those 2 things not happened, I either would have been born in Missoula, Montana or some other military installation. So much for my 5 year old aspirations of being a Kraut.

The majority of my childhood was spent on the tough street of 15th Ave in Olympia, WA. Ill tell you, it’s the hard knock life growing up there. Between the politician kids and the rich software designer kids, it was walk tall or die, Not really. Olympia was possibly the best city in the country to be raised as a child, or so it felt. Its definitely left a lasting impression on me threw my years. Ranging from saying Pop instead of Soda, to being an extreme left liberal, Olympia definitely left its mark, and I am more then glad that it did.

After several years in Olympia, we loaded up a U-Haul and moved 25 miles south to the Podunk establishment known as Rochester. This was probably the worst mistake ever in my parents life. Rochester is a horrible small community. The ones that Hollywood likes to portray as the depressing small towns. You know the ones, where you can never escape, that was Rochester. I attended the majority of my high school years in Rochester, and was so glad when we left.

“I love Los Angeles. I love Hollywood. They're beautiful. Everybody's plastic, but I love plastic. I want to be plastic.”

Fast forward to present day shall we? Skip the gore and details. I now have residence in Plumas Lake, which is a master planned exurb for Sacramento, CA. It wouldn’t be that bad, if the Northern California housing market hadn’t taken a nose dive. I am living in what by now should have been suburbs with infrastructure. Instead I am living in the middle of nowhere, with no supporting infrastructure; no business, no cultural opportunities, nothing except for empty streets with driveways to houses that were never built.

You may be asking yourself, well Charlie, if its such a horrible place of residence, why do you live there? That is a fair question, however the answer is easy. My parents live here. That’s another detail that makes this residential situation despicable. After one and a half years of freedom, I have returned to the mental prison that is my parents household. It’s a horrible place to be in, but I will make do.

My stay in Northern California is temporary. I keep reminding myself that, I have goals and I will meet and exceed them. I am only going to be in this prison of mine for six months to a year, at the most; long enough to escape my financial debt, and move back to Long Beach.

“I'd asked around 10 or 15 people for suggestions. Finally one lady friend asked the right question, "Well, what do you love most?" That's how I started painting money.”

At one time I felt like I had a great start in my career world. I had a great job, making great money. I was on top of the world for an 18 yearold. I fucked up though, I left the company, I left the industry. I was lucky enough to get a job for less money but with a better company, I made the mistake of leaving that one too. What were these jobs you may ask?

The first one I described was selling Parts and Accessories, it was actually for two companies; PCP Motorsports in Sacramento, and then eventually Pacific Motorsports in Harbor City. These were amazing positions for me, that I regret giving up now in hindsight. I have a knack for sales which made the job easy for me. Plus it was quite enjoyable, I was being paid to sit there and bullshit with people about motorcycles and racing, how great can that be?

After I left the powersport industry, I transferred to the hospitality industry. I got hired by the world famous Walt Disney Company in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. I was a photographer. You know, the annoying guy that sits at the park entrance, and sits by the castle, and sits by Mickey Mouse taking photos of you, and then asking if you had a photopass card? Yeah, that was me. I was a photopass photographer. I took the job for granted, and never realized while I was working there how much I was going to miss that magical rat after I left. Being a Disney Cast-Member is an amazing experience, that I hope to experience again at some point in my existence.

So what am I doing now? Well I consider myself unemployed, but that would be a lie of sorts. I work as a whore to retail at American Eagle Outfitters, folding clothes at $8.00 an hour for seven to fifteen hours a week. Its just to keep me somewhat busy however. To keep gas money in the gas tank until I find a better position. I am starting to think that will not occur until this horrible economic state of ours turns around, or until I have positive rehire status at the mouse, which ever happens first.

“I've decided something: Commercial things really do stink. As soon as it becomes commercial for a mass market it really stinks.”

I just now am returning to further my education. In High School, I worked super hard to try and get a jump start in life. I graduated high school in February 2007; My original graduation date was July 2008. So basically in a nutshell I graduated a year and a half early. Then I decided to take a year off from education. Well my year off is turning in to almost two years, Its really not with out education though, I was attending the College of Life Experience.

I am not sure if choosing life experience over education for 2 years was a good idea or not, but hey Its done and I cant change it. Its definitely made a difference in my life though. Its quite obvious when I talk to people in my age group. Those who lived the cultural norm compared to me, are like polar opposites at this point in life. People almost seem, shall I see, immature to me? They lack street smarts and don’t quite understand how the world works. Not that I do either.

Well now starting Spring Quarter 2009 I will be adding to my education with post secondary education; Education from an accredited institution, instead of from the slick city streets of America. I will be attending American River College as a Business Administration major with an emphasis in Marketing. My intent is after 2 years to attempt to transfer in to the UC system to get my bachelors degree. One thing that I have learned in my life experience, education is money.

“In the future everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes.”

My main passion in life is motorcycle racing. I have raced motocross since I was in Seventh Grade. It has became my self identity. When I flew the coup and was out on my own, I did not get to ride my bike often. I felt lost in life, I didn’t know what the hell my purpose was and what I was supposed to do with my time.

My bike is a 2006 Honda CRF250R. Its got, a ton, and I mean a ton of hours on it. See, when I lived at home the first time, I rode about 5 times a week. That going on for a few years, but quite a toll on the bike. Its also put quite a toll on my body. But its been worth every new piston. Its been worth every broken bone. Motocross is life.

“Sex is more exciting on the screen and between the pages than between the sheets.”

Most people think homosexuals only care about sex. I don’t. I find sex to be grossly overrated. Don’t get me wrong, I love it, but its not the purpose of life. I have the libido of an 18 year old fag, so yes, I like to hump like rabbits. However when its all said and done, I think to myself, that’s it? That’s all there is to this? An empty meaningless explosion of sexual frustration and my parents future grandkids. It doesn’t quite satisfy. It does for about 45 seconds, but then I am craving more. And what I am craving, cant be quenched by intercourse. It requires more. It requires affection.

I am quite the sappy one. I believe in love and I am seeking it. I’ve came to realize that love can be hard to find when your preference for a life partner contains a penis. Penis’s seem to take over the brain, and at times have made me think that love is a myth. It doesn’t take me long to shoot this thought out of my brain though. Deep down I know love exists, and I know one day I will find it. I cant wait for that day, when I can snuggle on the couch with my life partner, my husband, what ever the hell you want to call him, That day when I have my own little family, and feel loved by someone that I love in return. I think when that day comes, I will be content in life.

“So, what, painting is an excuse to listen to really good music”
“Oh, yeah.”

Music has an extreme impact in my life. I used to try and aspire to be a musician. I now know however that I don’t have the dedication to become a musician. There’s a famous quote in the performing arts; Amateurs practice until they get it right, professionals practice until they never get it wrong. So yeah, I had a hard enough time practicing until I got it right. Let alone practicing until I never got it wrong. Needless to say, I will still pick up my guitar from time to time and play. Needless to say, I don’t have many guitar skills anymore though, they have been lost to my laziness.

I am still, and always will be an avid fan of music though. I love all genres. As long as the music seems to be genuine, and not fake, then I can listen to it. What is genuine? Music that has emotion, music that you can feel the artist actually believes in what they are portraying. My favorite genre at the moment would probably be indie electro pop.

I also have became quite fond of Drum and Bass. Last year I went to a drum and bass show in Downtown Los Angeles with Statik and Nick, and it was amazing. The show went from like 8pm tell 4am. That whole time, I could not stop moving, the music took over. It was all I could feel. I felt possessed by the music to an extent. I guess it could be the musical equivalency to a religious experience. I was hooked.

At one time in life I was your stereotypical scene kid. Emo, Screamo, Hardcore, and Punk were what ruled my headphones. My iTunes were littered with it. But it grew old and stale. The music was so commercialistic that everyone started to sound the same. As Jello Biafra said, Punks not dead but it deserves to die when it becomes another stale cartoon. So I listened to one of my heroes and basically killed it. I will occasionally get cravings for the HXC but its rare, very very rare.

“People are only glamorous if you don't see them. Like the movies used to make people years ago. There is something about people on screen that makes them so special; when you see them in person, they are so different and the whole illusion is gone.”

I enjoy going on regular cinematic adventures. Movies are a great way to pass the time, especially with a special someone. I enjoy most film. I have an extreme love for comedy though. I think laughing is the most fun a boy can have with his clothes on, and movies are an easy way to provoke that laughter. My favorite movies all have intense memories behind them. Memories of my childhood, watching them is like a coming of age tale in my head, except the movie isn’t the coming of age character, I am, the movie is just the catalyst to bring it to the forefront. Which movies are these? Well it’s a long list but here is a few examples: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2, The Boondock Saints, In The Army Now, Scarface, and many many more.

Im also a huge fan of the theater. You know, that old fashion thing that inspired the film industry. The theater is great fun, from all angles of the show. I like being on the front of house, in those seats watching the story fold out in front of me. I also like being on stage, performing the tale for others to enjoy. I have been interested in theater since middle school. I thought I stuck it on the backburner in my life, and the cravings have been returning slowly. A friend pointed out to me that It wasn’t on the backburner, I was getting my fix by being a Disney castmember. As Walt said, “Disneyland is a show.” So I was in the show, and it cured my fix, but now that I am not on stage daily anymore, my need for theater is starting to return. A weird hobby many will say. But it’s a grand hobby.

“I never read. I just look at pictures.”

I love to read. However with the pressures and the hustle and bustle of daily life, I rarely find the time. I know what your thinking, that’s a piss poor excuse that the majority of our western society has. Well it is true, I could easily find the time. But that would take effort. However reading is knowledge, and knowledge is power. So I try and force myself to read every so often. The problem is once I start to read, I have a hard time stopping. It is not unheard of for me to sit there for 15 hours and read a 1000 page book nonstop cover to cover. That’s where the not having time excuse starts to come in.

The last book I read was The Nasty Bits by Anthony Bourdain. It was a great collection of various short storys and news paper pieces written by Bourdain. It chronicled various adventures of his life as a chef in New York City and as a travel journalist. It’s a great read that I recommend to all.

When I don’t have the time to sit down and read a book I still get my reading fix. I have a severe addiction to reading Wikipedia. I also have a severe addiction to clicking every link on an article on Wikipedia, and then reading all those article. So I am sure I have read the equivalency to many books on Wikipedia, just not actual books.

“I have Social Disease. I have to go out every night. If I stay home one night I start spreading rumors to my dogs.”

I love social activities. I love people. I love being around people and having fun with people. I cant stay home, it bores the hell out of me. I have to keep active. I do this by immersing myself in social activities. I can often be found dancing with my core group of good friends at the dance clubs. Yes Thomas, Yes Matthew, Yes Sean, I am referring to you guys and Parliament House. I love going out, because I get to spend fun time with my friends. And then I also get to meet more friends.

I also have an extreme desire to travel. Meet new people, meet new cultures. I have a life goal of having a friend on every continent. A friend that I have actually met, in that continent, and been shown the ways of life there. First I have to tackle North America though, and have very intense travel plan’s planned over the next few years.

So if your reading this, and you’re a friend that I have hung out with recently, lets hang out again. If your reading this and you’re a friend that I haven’t hung out with recently, lets hang out again. If your reading this, and we’ve never hung out, lets hang out soon. I promise I don’t bite; not too hard at least, and if I do its only chewing.

“Dying is the most embarrassing thing that can ever happen to you, because someone's got to take care of all your details.”

In conclusion, Im just embarking in my journey of life. Writing the future content for my Wikipedia article daily. Adding to my life, experiencing more life, and enriching my life. So yeah, I am living life. I am still wet behind the ears, and I know enough about this crazy thing called life, to know that I really don’t know much. I have embarked on my journey of adulthood, and expect big things to come in my life. I will be worthy of a Wikipedia article; Even if I end life with no fame, which I will be perfectly fine with. So your sitting there, thinking no fame? Why would you be worthy of a Wikipedia article. Because I am making damn sure that my life story will be an interesting read. An adventure.

“I never understood why when you died, you didn't just vanish, everything could just keep going on the way it was only you just wouldn't be there. I always thought I'd like my own tombstone to be blank. No epitaph, and no name. Well, actually, I'd like it to say "figment".




All Quotes by Andy Warhol

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